STAA Success Stories

(January 6, 2015) Caleb Burggraaf is moving closer to his Rocky Mountain roots. An STAA member, Burggraaf is joining Cook Brothers Broadcasting in Evanston, WY. The opportunity came when the station contacted STAA seeking a recommendation.

“I received a phone call in early December from [station owner] Val Cook after he had heard about me through STAA,” says Burggraaf. “I was also in the running for another job I had heard about from STAA, and it came down to who was going to call me first. Val was the first to make the decision. It really happened so fast that I was shocked when I received the call.”

Burggraaf will be doing a variety of things for Cook Brothers Broadcasting, but his main role will be calling football, basketball and volleyball for the Kemmerer High School Rangers. He will also be covering KHS student activities and other community events.

A 2011 graduate of Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO spent the 2011-12 academic year broadcasting sports for Western Nebraska Community College. He spent the following 10 months with MBC Broadcasting in Grand Junction before taking a News and Sports Director position with Elkhorn Media Group in Eastern Oregon. Burggraaf’s duties there included play-by-play for high school sports and Eastern Oregon University.

Before joining STAA, Burggraaf says the job market was a hit and miss proposition.

“I didn’t join STAA for a while after finding the site, instead just using the job forum to apply for jobs I saw. Once I did join after finding a rough patch in my second stint at a station in Grand Junction, CO, I decided to test it out for a year. After four months, it had already gotten me in contact with four or five stations and helped me land a job in Oregon.

“Since joining STAA, I have confidence that no matter what happens with the job I have, I will be able to be a force on the market, and be able to stay in the view of [employers]. It is a great feeling of confidence.

“I really can’t describe how happy I have been with my STAA membership. I was extremely nervous about signing up, not sure if it was worth the money, but I have definitely become a believer. It still takes work on my end, but STAA has been a life, and career saver for me.”